Vermont historic preservation

United Church of Strafford // 1832

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After the public support of religion ended in Vermont in 1807, when before this tax dollars were used to support the Congregational Church in towns and villages all over the state, many congregations split and erected their own purpose-built houses of worship. The Congregaional Church of Strafford was once located in the Strafford Meetinghouse, a 1799 structure at the edge of the town green. In 1832, the churches left the building, with the Unitarians building a church in the South Strafford Village, and Congregationalists building this church that same year. The old Congregational Church blends Federal and Greek Revival styles both in the vernacular, but it retains much of its original features. The Free Will Baptists sold their church building in the lower village (South Strafford) and the Baptists joined the Congregationalists to form the United Church of Strafford in 1967, occupying this church building.

Dr. Pierce House – Hazelton’s Hotel // 1821 & 1858

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Located on the edge of the Town Common in Strafford, Vermont, this Federal period residence was “modernized” decades after its completion for a new use. The house was originally built in 1821 by Dr. Albigence Pierce (1789-1873) for his wife and seven children with a small office alongside where he worked as the town’s primary physician. Dr. Pierce maintained his residence and office here until his retirement, when he moved back to Royalton, where he was born. He sold the main building to Lucius Carpenter in 1857, who opened a tavern and public hall a year later. In 1858, he updated the house, adding an ell on the rear for parties, meetings, and dances, and altered the roofline, adding a third floor with gable, bracketed eaves, and replaced all the windows with sashes of the period. The only Federal period detailing that remains is the traditional entrance with blind fan above the entry and three-light sidelights flanking. In 1859, Henry Hazelton married Carpenter’s daughter Amanda, and he would purchase the property from his father-in-law in 1865, operating it as Hazelton’s Hotel and Hall. By the 20th century, the property was converted back to a private residence.

Justin Morrill Homestead // 1851

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Located in the village of Strafford, Vermont, the Justin Smith Morrill Homestead is one of Vermont’s most charming architectural landmarks. Built between 1848 and 1851, the house is a rare and exuberant example of Gothic Revival design, with steeply pitched gables, pointed-arch windows, and intricate decorative trim that give it the look of a storybook cottage. Justin S. Morrill (1810-1898) was a self-taught architectural enthusiast who drew inspiration from the popular pattern books of the day, and he is said to have designed much of the house himself. Morrill also planned the surrounding gardens, studying the romantic landscape movement with its formal yet picturesque plantings. He selected only those plants that would survive the wintry Vermont climate and annually monitored their success again the harsh elements. Justin Morrill was a regular storekeeper in the village who retired early, who went on to serve in Congress for more than four decades and is best remembered as the author of the Morrill Land-Grant Acts. Signed into law in 1862, the first act helped establish public colleges across the country and opened higher education to ordinary Americans, primarily focusing on agricultural and mechanical studies. While Senator Morrill spent much of his time in the nation’s capital, his Strafford home served as his respite during the summer months. Today the homestead is a National Historic Landmark and Vermont state historic site, where visitors can walk through rooms filled with the family’s belongings and see how the ambitions of a small-town statesman shaped both a home and a nation.

Barn

Orson Goodrich House // c.1850

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This stunning Gothic Revival style house in Richmond, Vermont, was built around 1850 for Orson Goodrich (1808-1877), likely after the death of his first wife, Ann in 1849. Goodrich was a farmer who had a large property off the Main Street, which likely ran all the way to the Winooski River. The house is an excellent example of Carpenter Gothic, a wooden Gothic Revival home with decorative bargeboards at the roof (which look like icicles in the snow), pierced wooden columns at the porch, and a lancet window at the second floor gable end. The home was such a statement piece, that the home was one of a handful of buildings portrayed in the 1857 Map of Chittenden County, Vermont.

West Monitor Barn // 1904

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Located in Richmond, Vermont, this four-and-a-half-story, wood-frame barn with striking monitor roof, is one of two nearly identical such barns on adjacent farms in the small rural farming community. In 1871, Uzziel Stevens Whitcomb (1817-1899) and his brother, acquired adjacent farms on East Main Street in the Winooski River Valley. Uzziel’s farm grew and he created one of the largest dairy farms in Vermont, spanning around six hundred acres with about 120 cows. Uzziel’s son, Moses S. Whitcomb (1842-1933), continued his father’s massive dairy farm and acquired nearby farms, growing his property to span over 900-acres of farmland. In 1901, with one of the largest dairy farms in the state, he erected the first and larger barn, now known as the East Monitor Barn, and in 1904, added a second to the west, the West Monitor Barn. Unlike many barns west of the Green Mountains, this one followed the more traditional northern New England bank barn design with a manure basement, cow stables on the second floor, and two-floors of hay storage above. The barn is now commonly used as a venue for weddings and other special events!

Richmond Congregational Church // 1903

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The Richmond Congregational Church is a stellar example of an early 20th century, wood-frame church building in the small town of Richmond, Vermont. Designed by prominent Burlington architect, Walter R. B. Wilcox in 1903, the building blends many styles that were popular at the time, namely the Shingle, Queen Anne, and Colonial Revival styles, into a single composition. The parish hall addition was built in 1984, and is in a sympathetic Colonial Revival style, designed by Burlington architect Donald Albertson. The congregation remains active and maintains the church building, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

Jonesville Academy // 1868

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Jonesville Academy is a historic schoolhouse located in the village of Jonesville, in the town of Richmond, Vermont. The large, wooden schoolhouse was constructed around 1868 in the Italianate style with center entry tower, bracketed cornice, window and door hoods, and round arched windows, all hallmarks of the style. The building was constructed at the height of the area’s success as an industrial village, and operated as a high school and later as an elementary school until 1955, when schools in Richmond were consolidated. After the school closed, the building operated as a grange hall for a number of years until it reverted back to private ownership, and is today a single-family residence. 

Goodwin House // 1902

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This handsome house in the small town of Richmond, Vermont, was built in 1902 for F. H. Goodwin, a partner of the Richmond Underwear Company, which started in 1900. Goodwin’s brother and his partner were brought from Peekskill, New York to the small town of Richmond to create and manage a new industry to revitalize the town, a program funded by the citizens. F. H. Goodwin was hired as a manager of the company, and built this home in a blending of Shingle and Arts and Crafts styles, common in the early 20th century. The house was unique in that it was the first in town to be electrified as it was directly connected on the grid with the factory next door.

Jabez Sargeant Jr. House // 1797

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Deacon Jabez Sargeant (1720-1788) was born in Malden, Massachusetts, and later moved to the newly established town of Chester, Vermont in 1763. He is thought to have been the first settler of European ancestry in the town. Upon the outbreak of the Revolution, he served in Captain Little’s Company in 1778, returning home to Chester after. His son, Jabez Sargeant Jr. built this stately three-story late-Georgian residence in 1797 as a tavern along the Green Mountain Turnpike, a highway connecting Boston and Montreal. The dwelling originally fronted directly on the road, but was moved back sometime in the 19th or 20th centuries. The building boasted a large ballroom on the second floor, likely for community and fraternal organizations, and a tavern in the brick first floor. It is likely that Jabez and his family lived on the third floor. Outside, the property contained a large apple orchard and cider house, providing drinks to weary travellers. Although the tavern is built to a large size, it lacks many of the high-style features often found in large Georgian houses, telling for its time of construction in a sparsely developed area without seasoned builders.

Sherwin-Goldsmith House // 1844

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The Stone Village of Chester, Vermont, is said to be the largest collection of stone buildings in the state. Built around 1844, the Sherwin-Goldsmith House is one of a few dozen “snecked ashlar” buildings in the region, where rubblestone is laid up with mortar using long stones called “snecks” to tie an outer and an inner wall together. The construction method is said to have been brought to the area by masons from Scotland and Ireland which is known there as ‘Celtic Bond’. Oral tradition state that Scottish masons from Canada introduced the technique to local masons while erecting a mill in nearby Cavendish in 1832. Local Chester resident, Dr. Ptolemy Edson became such a fan of the building that in 1834, he had his home, the first stone building in Chester, built in this method. He then would influence the rest of the North Village of Chester, where many of his neighbors, as well as the church and schoolhouse, built their structures in snecked ashlar. The Sherwin House is one of three near-identical houses built around the same time that are colloquially known as the “Three Sisters” because they were built for members of the same family. The Greek Revival form is toned down in this smaller side-hall house, which playfully uses large blocks of schist and mica which read as quoins at the corners. Simeon Sherwin (1813-1874) was a farmer, postmaster, and justice of the peace in Chester. Later owner, Olivia Goldsmith, wrote her bestseller, First Wives Club when she lived here. 

Mason C. Richardson House // c.1839

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The Stone Village of Chester, Vermont, is said to be the largest collection of stone buildings in the state. Built around 1839, the Mason C. Richardson House is one of a few dozen “snecked ashlar” buildings in the region, where rubblestone is laid up with mortar using small long stones called “snecks” to tie an outer and an inner wall together. The construction method is said to have been brought to the area by masons from Scotland and Ireland which is known there as ‘Celtic Bond’. Oral tradition state that Scottish masons from Canada introduced the technique to local masons while erecting a mill in nearby Cavendish in 1832. Local Chester resident, Dr. Ptolemy Edson became such a fan of the building that in 1834, he had his home, the first stone building in Chester, built in this method. He then would influence the rest of the North Village of Chester, where many of his neighbors, as well as the church and schoolhouse, built their structures in snecked ashlar. Designed in the Federal style, the Richardson House is a vernacular, five-bay, two-story residence with central entrance and arched fanlight transom over the front door. Mason Richardson (1811-1881) was a merchant who lived here with his family while operating a store nearby.

Granville and Aurora Spaulding House // 1838

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The Stone Village of Chester, Vermont, is said to be the largest collection of stone buildings in the state. Built around 1838, Granville and Aurora Spaulding House is one of a few dozen “snecked ashlar” buildings in the region, where rubblestone is laid up with mortar using small long stones called “snecks” to tie an outer and an inner wall together. The construction method is said to have been brought to the area by masons from Scotland and Ireland which is known there as ‘Celtic Bond’. Oral tradition state that Scottish masons from Canada introduced the technique to local masons while erecting a mill in nearby Cavendish in 1832. Local Chester resident, Dr. Ptolemy Edson became such a fan of the building that in 1834, he had his home, the first stone building in Chester, built in this method. He then would influence the rest of the North Village of Chester, where many of his neighbors, as well as the church and schoolhouse, built their structures in snecked ashlar. The Spaulding House is unique in that the main entrance does not face the street, as it fades the south east (side) facade. The couple married in 1839 and moved into this recently completed house to raise their family and work their farm. Like many other early stone houses built nearby in the 1830s, the Spaulding house blends Federal and Greek Revival motifs from the gable end facing the street and eaves returning to serve as a pediment as a nod to the emerging Greek Revival style, while retaining an arched entry off the street which echoes Federal period taste. 

Gideon M. Lee House // c.1836

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The Stone Village of Chester, Vermont, is said to be the largest collection of stone buildings in the state. Built around 1836, the Gideon Lee House is one of a few dozen “snecked ashlar” buildings in the region, where rubblestone is laid up with mortar using small long stones called “snecks” to tie an outer and an inner wall together. The construction method is said to have been brought to the area by masons from Scotland and Ireland which is known there as ‘Celtic Bond’. Oral tradition state that Scottish masons from Canada introduced the technique to local masons while erecting a mill in nearby Cavendish in 1832. Local Chester resident, Dr. Ptolemy Edson became such a fan of the building that in 1834, he had his home, the first stone building in Chester, built in this method. He then would influence the rest of the North Village of Chester, where many of his neighbors, as well as the church and schoolhouse, built their structures in snecked ashlar. The first residence besides Dr. Edson’s home built this way in the village was this home, built nextdoor for Dr. Edson’s friend, Gideon Merrick Lee (1811-1880). Designed in a more vernacular version of the Federal style with emerging Greek Revival side-hall form, the Lee House features a charming entry with sidelights and a blind fan over the door.

Stone Village Unitarian Church // 1845

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The Stone Village of Chester, Vermont, is said to be the largest collection of stone buildings in the state, and is anchored by its largest building, the Unitarian Church. Built in 1845, the Unitarian Universalist Church is one of a few dozen “snecked ashlar” buildings in the region, where rubblestone is laid up with mortar using small long stones called “snecks” to tie an outer and an inner wall together. The construction method is said to have been brought to the area by masons from Scotland and Ireland which is known there as ‘Celtic Bond’. Oral tradition state that Scottish masons from Canada introduced the technique to local masons while erecting a mill in nearby Cavendish in 1832. Local Chester resident, Dr. Ptolemy Edson became such a fan of the building that in 1834, he had his home, the first stone building in Chester, built in this method. Dr. Edson served on the building committee for the new village church, and likely pushed for a cohesive material and construction method for this church and other buildings soon after. The Stone Village Unitarian Church blends Greek Revival and Gothic Revival styles in a more vernacular way, typical in many rural Vermont communities. The building exhibits stained glass windows that were added sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century.

Dr. Ptolemy Edson House // 1834

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The Stone Village of Chester, Vermont, is said to be the largest collection of stone buildings in the state. Built in 1834, the Dr. Ptolemy Edson House is one of a few dozen “snecked ashlar” buildings in the region, where rubblestone is laid up with mortar using small long stones called “snecks” to tie an outer and an inner wall together. The construction method is said to have been brought to the area by masons from Scotland and Ireland which is known there as ‘Celtic Bond’. Oral tradition state that Scottish masons from Canada introduced the technique to local masons while erecting a mill in nearby Cavendish in 1832. Local Chester resident, Dr. Ptolemy Edson became such a fan of the building that in 1834, he had his home, the first stone building in Chester, built in this method. He then would influence the rest of the North Village of Chester, where many of his neighbors, as well as the church and schoolhouse, built their structures in snecked ashlar. Designed in the Federal style, the Edson House is a vernacular, five-bay, two-story residence with central entrance and arched fanlight transom over the front door.